THE PANAGBENGA 2018 GRAND FLOAT PARADE

BAGUIO CITY – Criminal elements can strike anytime, this was expressed by City Mayor Mauricio Domogan during the weekly Ugnayan Presser Wednesday answering to queries on the theft which happened at the City Treasury Office.

Reports reveal that cash amounting to 135,690 thousand pesos has been carted away by an unidentified culprit inside the city’s one stop shop in broad daylight during office hours.

Accordingly, Revenue Collection Officer Merceditas Dela Pena placed the cash inside a box on top of her table after collecting monies from the tellers. She however left her table unattended to get cedula booklets which was the perfect opportunity for the ‘man of steal’ to strike.

The cash is from the collection of community tax payments for the day.

This is a warning to employees to take extra precaution, Domogan said citing negligence on the part of the employee.

What happened there does not have to do anything with the guards, Domogan exclaimed.

But our security personnel should always be on alert, he added.

A full investigation is being undertaken so measures can be placed to deter similar incidents in the future.

Installation of additional CCTV cameras is also being considered though Domogan said what is needed is vigilance and extra care when handling something of value.

Domogan also expressed alarm over the increasing theft and robbery cases despite reports from the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) that crimes have decreased.